Newborn Screening

Public Health Laboratory

Newborn Screening Family Stories:
Gabriel's Story

Our son Gabriel was born happy and healthy. When he was three days old,
we had him circumcised. In the hours following the procedure,
Gabe's blood sugar dropped to 34, and he was unresponsive. With the help
of the nurse we were able to feed Gabe a bottle and he returned to
normal within a half hour.

Two days later we received a call from our doctor stating Gabe had a
rare metabolic disorder called MCAD. We went to the doctor
appointments and educated ourselves about the disorder. To date there have been AT LEAST two instances where, had we not known
about MCAD, Gabe would not be here with us today. His newborn screening allowed us to not only learn about the disorder, but
also to plan ahead for crisis to keep our son safe.

Today, he's a happy and healthy kindergartner! We are so thrilled to
see him enjoying the life that he wouldn't have had without the
Newborn Screen.